abstract:Mental breakdown (also known as a nervous breakdown) is a largely depreciated and colloquial term for an acute, time-limited psychiatric disorder that manifests primarily as severe stress-induced depression, anxiety and/or dissociation in a previously functional individual, to the extent that they are no longer able to function on a day-to-day basis until the disorder is resolved. It is defined by its temporary nature, and often closely tied to psychological burnout, severe overwork, sleep deprivation and similar stressors, which combine to temporarily overwhelm an individual with otherwise sound mental faculties.